From a food perspective, my life started out pretty damn well. I was born in Paris, France—a mecca for high cuisine—and then moved to New York City. By the age of 5, I had lived in two of the most important culinary cities in the world. Things were looking great.
Then, the unthinkable happened. My family moved from New York City, population of more than 8 million, to Lake Charles, Louisiana, a town of about 70,000. It was clearly not the epicenter of any great culinary movements, unless being great at frying things counts. From that point until high school, the foods I ate were not exactly interesting or adventurous. For instance, legend holds that for all of third grade, I refused to eat anything for lunch other than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich served with a Ding Dong and Hawaiian Punch.
I ended up in Seattle for high school, which began to shift things somewhat as I discovered there’s something known as Asian food—which, in Seattle, primarily means Japanese. Moving into college, there are two things that then changed my perspective more than anything, and set the path for who I am today.
The first was a trip to Texas. My favorite aunt lived in Houston—and so one summer I went to visit her. While there, she took me to a Tex-Mex restaurant where she introduced me to fajitas. Now, for everyone outside of Texas, you think you know what fajitas are and you are a bit confused how this could be a shift in my palate. But for those who live in Texas, you will know that fajitas done well—the homemade tortillas, the perfectly grilled and seasoned meat—there’s nothing better. And so I ate these wonderful creations, and when I had them, I went all in: I loaded them up with everything I normally wouldn’t touch: guacamole, grilled onions, things like that. And it was magical. And it was at that moment where I came to realize that there are foods that don’t have peanut butter or chocolate, that are really good. And most disturbing of all, vegetables actually can be delicious.
A few years later, my world shook even more when I had the opportunity to study abroad in Indonesia. When I got there, I again decided to go all in. Anything that was presented to me for food, I would eat, no matter how different it looked. This decision absolutely changed my world. Nasi goreng. Gado gado. Rendang. These are dishes that most in the United States have never heard of but were so delicious, it was hard to imagine ever returning to eating things like hot dogs. Sure, there were things I ate that that I didn’t like or were so spicy, I lost a few brain cells. But overall, the combinations of flavors were unlike anything I had ever experienced and that-- more than anything-- has set me on a path for the rest of my life to explore this world through food. Since then, I have had many opportunities to travel the world—from Singapore to Chile, Japan to Italy. And my explorations have always revolved around food.
It is fitting, then, that at this point in my life, I have returned to Houston, where my culinary journey truly began. But there is also nowhere in the United States better to live if you are interested in great foods—and great foods that tell stories. Stories about the world, about different cultures, places, and people, and how we all ended up in the most diverse city in the country. Life is a journey, and for those lucky like me, we get to experience that trip with lots of delicious food.